Gasoline turbine



23, 1940- G. H. ARMSTRONG 2,188,128

GASOLINE TURBINE Filed Nov. 12, 19s? s Sheets-Sheet 1 .G. H. ARMSTRONG GASOLINE TURBINE Filed Nov. 12, 1.937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1940- G. H. ARMSTRONG I 2,133,128

GASOLINE TURBINE Filed Nov. 12, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Tm m 4 m a a 4 w Patented Jan. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GASOLINE TURBINE George H. Armstrong, Hempstead, N. Y. Application November 12, 1937, Serial No. 174,272

4 Claims. (Ci. 60-41) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in gasoline turbines.

The primary object of the invention is to pro vide a turbine structure which rotates as a unit 6 in response to the reaction produced by peripherally discharged gases resulting from the burning of a combustible fuel mixture formed by the carburetion of gasoline and air.

A further important object of the invention is 10 to provide a turbine of the above mentioned type which functions to obtain the desired propulsion reactive forces without requiring valve mechanism which will function to effect feeding of the combustible fuel in any form of intermitl tent charges or impulses.

' Another important object of the invention is to provide a turbine which possesses no parts movable relative to each other except its supporting shaft and bearings in which the shaft is journaled.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a partly side elevational view and partly vertical sectional view of the gasoline turbine embodying this invention, 4

Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional view, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, through the hollow casing of the turbine taken at right angles to the axis of the turbine,

Figure 3 is a schematic view illustrating a portion of the peripheral combustion chamber taken on line 3-4 of Fig. 1 and laid out fiat to illustrate the bailie means employed for preventing reverse flow from the combustion chamber as a result of explosion of the fuel mixture within the chamber,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating admission openings for the combustion chamber, a Figure 5 is anend elevational view of a ring employed in the rotatable casing for defining the inner wall of the combustion chamber,

Figure 6 is a plan view of the ring shown in a m- .0

Figure '1 is a fragmentary plan view of the periphery of the turbine casing and illustrating a discharge jet or port for the exploded gases, and 5 Figure 8 is a similar view to Fig. '7, but taken at an angle to disclose the discharge end of the jet or port disclosed in Fig. .7.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of this invention, and referring first to Fig. 1, the 5 turbine embodying this invention is supported upon the standards In and I l which are anchored in any suitable manner to a fixed base or support, not shown. The standard I0 is provided with a bearing l2 in which is journaled the hollow or 10 tubular shaft section l3. The standard H is provided at its upper end with a bearing II in which is journaled the solid drive shaft I! of the turbine. A branch arm I6 is carried by the standard l0 and terminates at its free end in a sleeve H which receives the end portion of the tubular or hollow shaft l3. Packing elements l8 are received in a portion of the bore of the sleeve i1 and are compressed bya packing nut l9 to prevent leakage around the periphery of the 530 shaft.

Suitably bolted to the flange end ofthe sleeve I1 is a feed pipe 28 which has secured to its free end the carburetor 2|. This carburetor is of a type to carburete gasoline and air for the purpose of feeding to the feed pipe 20 a. combustible fuel formed by said gas and air. To effect control of the feeding of fuel to the feed pipe 20, a butterfly valve 22 is provided in the discharge for the carburetor.

The casing of the turbine is formed by the end walls or rings 23 and 24 which are detachably secured at their peripheries to the annular peripheral casing wall 25. The end wall or ring 23 is formed integral with the tubular shaft I3 while the end wall or plate 24 is formed integral with the drive shaft l5. It will be appreciated that the end walls 23 and 24 need not necessarily be formed integral with their shaft sections. for the said shaft sections may, ifdesired, be made separately and rigidly secured to the end plates or walls in any suitable manner.

The end wall or plate 23 has integrally formed thereon a multiplicity of axially extending blades 28 which are shown in radial section in Fig. 2. By inspecting Fig. 2, it will be seen that each one of these suction creating blades 28 is formed with opposite curved surfaces 21 and 28. The surface 21 is concave while the surface 28 is convex. These curved surfaces 21 and 28 diverge radially to form a blade which gradually increases in thickness radially outwardly. It will be appreciated that the concaved surfaces 21 are positioned opposite the convexed surfaces 28 of adjacent blades. The curved surfaces 21 and 28 chamber 38, see Fig. 2. This central inlet chamber 39 is defined at its periphery by a cylindrical wire mesh screen 3|.

It will be appreciated that if the turbine is rotated rapidly, the blades 26 will create a vacuum which will function to suck the combustible fuel through the suitable number of axially extending bosses or lugs 33. These bosses or lugs are suitably spaced around the periphery of the ring, as best illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. This ring 32 is illus- The bosses or lugs 33, edges of the ring 32 and the inner faces of the plates 23 and 24 suitably spaced to form fuel openings 34.

radially outwardly through the openings 34.

In passing from the openings 34 into the transverse central portion of the combustion chamber 35, the fuel mixture is caused to pass over the rings or plates 31 and under the rings or plates 36 successively. Between the rings or plates 36 and 31, the fuel mixture passes in truly radial streams between the baffle plates 38. The fuel mixture, therefore, tends to be compressed in the central portion of the chamber 35. The compressed fuel'is not permitted to expand truly axially because of the obstruction provided by the baflle plates or rings and blades. flow through the tortuous path formed :by the baflle members 36, 31 The combustible fuel mixture, therefore, remains in the central portion of the chamber until it is fired and the burnt or exploded gases, in seeking the path of least resistance in which to expand their forces, exhaust through the discharge ports 40. This action has been found to take placeuntil the speed of rotation of the turbine drops below 100 R. P. M. These baflle rings-or plates and baflle blades are arranged bine assembly.

in two sets and are best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Both of these baflle structures are formed integrally with of a spark plug 46. These spark vided with spherical terminals 41 which are adapted to electrically contact a curved spring blade 48 which is carried by a lever 49 actuated by a link 50. This spring blade 48 is connected plugs are proengages the blade 48.

To effect starting of the turbine embodying this invention, a suitable starting motor, not shown, is employed for initially spinning the tur- As the starting motor is started, the link 50 is actuated to move the lever 49 for placing the contactor blade 48 into operative relation with respect to the path of movement of the various spark plugs 46. As these spark plugs contact successively with the blade 48, the said as follows:

When it is desired to turbine,

the passageways 29,

which are formed at the opposite side edges of flows through the openings 34 jets or nozzles M This discharge of the combustion gases reacts on the atmosphere to effect a rocket action which takes up the driving of the turbine.

When the turbine is properly operating to drive itself, due to the discharge of the combustion gases, the starting motor is rendered inoperative and the contactor blade 48 is moved out of the path of movement of the spark plugs. The turbine then continues to operate under its own power without the aid of the starting motor and without ignition of the fuel mixture by the spark plugs. The constant feeding of the fuel mixture from the carburetor effects a constant supply of fuel in the combustion chamber which continues to burn due to flame propagation. The speed of operation of theturbine may be governed by means of the butterfly valve 22.

When it is desired to stop the turbine, the butterfly valve is merely closed and when the fuel mixture has completely been consumed and its combustion gases discharged, the turbine will stop.

It is to be understood that the form of this invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and

that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A gasoline turbine of the type described comprising a stationary support, a hollow casing journaled for rotation on said support and having a central inlet chamber for receiving an explosive fuel mixture, a carburetor for feeding a carbureted fuel mixture of gasoline and air to said central inlet chamber, a combustion chamber formed in the peripheral portion of the said casing and defined as to its radial limits by the peripheral wall of the casing and a ring of less diameter than, arranged concentric to and parallel with said wall, said ring having openings in its edges for the passage of the fuel toward said combustion chamber, baflie means defining the axial limits of said combustion chamber and arranged between said admission openings and said combustion chamber, means within said casing for continuously sucking said fuel mixture into the central inlet chamber and for feeding the said mixture to the combustion chamber of the casing, and a plurality of peripheral, tangentially discharging jets cornmunicating with the combustion chamber and through which the gases of combustion are discharged to produce the propelling reaction with the atmosphere.

2. A turbine of the type described embodying a rotor adapted to partake of .angular movement in its entirety and comprising a hollow casing having a central inlet chamber for receiving an explosive fuel mixture, means within said casing surrounding said inlet chamber for sucking fuel mixture into the inlet chamber and for feeding said mixture radially outwardly toward the periphery of the hollow casing, a ring in the casing surrounding the aforesaid means, said ring being concentric with and spaced from the peripheral wall of the casing to form therewith the inner and outer radial walls of a combustion chamber and having admission openings in its side edges for passing the fuel mixture toward the combustion chamber. a set of circumferentially extending baflle rings arranged between the first mentioned ring and said peripheral casing wall on casing surrounding the aforesaid each side of and defining the axial limits of the combustion chamber, said ringseach being of less thickness than the depth of the space between said first ring and casing wall and being relatively staggered radially to permit passage of 1 the mixture over and under successive rings in flowing from the admission openings to the space of the combustion chamber located between said sets of baiiie rings, and a plurality of peripheral, tangentially discharging jets'communicating with the combustion chamber through which the gases of combustion are discharged to produce the propelling reaction with the atmosphere.

3. A turbine of the type described embodying a rotor adapted to partake of angular movement in its entirety and comprising a hollow casing having a central inlet chamber for receiving an explosive fuel mixture, means within said casing surrounding said inlet chamber for sucking fuel mixture into the inlet chamber and for feeding said mixture radially outwardly toward the periphery of the hollow casing, a ring in the means, said ring being concentric with and spaced from the peripheral wall of the casing to form therewith a combustion chamber and having edge lugs to provide therebetween admission openings for passing the fuel mixture to the combustion chamher, a set of circumferentially extending baflle rings arranged on each side of the combustion chamber with the rings each being of less thickness than the depth of the chamber and being relatively staggered radially to permit passage of the mixture over and under successive rings in passing from the admission openings to the space of the combustion chamber located between said sets of baiile rings, and a plurality of peripheral, tangentially discharging jets communicating with the combustion chamber and through which the gases of combustion are discharged to produce the propelling reaction with the atmosphere.

4. A turbine of the type described embodying a rotor adapted to partake of angular movement in its entirety and comprising a hollow casing having a central inlet chamber for receiving an explosive fuel mixture, means within said casing surrounding said inlet chamber for sucking fuel mixture into the inlet chamber and for feedingsaid mixture periphery of the hollow casing, a ring in the casing surrounding the aforesaid means, said ring being concentric with and spaced from the peripheral wall of the casing to form therewith the inner and outer radial walls of a combustion chamber and having admission openings in its edge portions for passing the fuel mixture toward the combustion chamber, a set of circumferentially extending bafiie rings arranged between the first mentioned ring and said peripheral casing wall on each side of the combustion chamber, said rings each being of less thickness than the depth of the space between said first ring and easing wall and being relatively staggered radially to permit passage of the mixture over and under successive rings in passing from the admission openings to the combustion chamber located between said sets of battle rings, balile blades extending between and joined ,to the rings of each set, and a plurality of peripheral, tangentially discharging jets communicating with the combustion chamber and through which the gases of combustion are discharged to produce the propelling reaction with the atmosphere.

GEORGE H. N6.

radially outwardly toward the 

